The effects of prequestions on classroom learning.

In those two studies, on delayed assessments, students performed no better on items introduced as prequestions and then postquestions than on items only presented as postquestions.

“On delayed assessments, students performed no better on items that had been introduced as prequestions (and then again as postquestions) when compared with items that had only been presented as postquestions at the end of lectures.”

Studies conducted in authentic education environments have produced scant and inconsistent evidence of benefits of prequestions.

“but studies conducted in authentic education environments have produced scant and inconsistent evidence of such bene fi ts.”

In the two experiments where no prequestion effect was observed, the classes also included additional interactive elements.

“In the two experiments where no prequestion effect was observed, the classes also included additional interactive elements (team-based learning activities in Geller et al., 2017; and postquestions in Carpenter, Rahman, & Perkins, 2018), and this has led researchers to reasonably assume that the effect of prequestions may be muf fl ed by other concomitant learning activities.”

Of contemporary experimental studies conducted in authentic education settings, one observed benefits of prequestions for student learning, while two observed no reliable benefit.

“Of the contemporary experimental studies conducted in authentic education settings, one has observed bene fi ts of prequestions for student learning (Soderstrom & Bjork, 2023), while two have observed no reliable bene fi t (Carpenter, Rahman, & Perkins, 2018; Geller et al., 2017).”